Such a move would give Mahathir enough free time to take his campaign for the ouster of Prime Minister Najib Razak to its conclusion, said the former menteri besar of Kedah.

In an interview with FMT, Sanusi was asked to give his thoughts on Mahathir’s future in the two government-linked organisations now that he has been sacked from his post as Petronas Advisor. The former prime minister is still chairman of Proton as well as the Perdana Leadership Foundation.

“I think Mahathir doesn’t care,” Sanusi said. “But if he has no posts, he can walk around more. Now he has to work.

“Mahathir is the type of person who likes to work. If you give him a job, he will work. It will be suicidal to remove Mahathir as he will have seven days to walk around.”

Commenting on Mahathir’s removal from Petronas, he said it would have a negative effect on the national oil company’s image.

He said no one could match what Mahathir had done for Petronas.

“Just make sure the person replacing him does not give away our oil concessions to other countries,” he remarked.

Mahathir was removed from Petronas after he launched the Save Malaysia movement, the primary aim of which is to pressure Najib to quit. Former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah have been mentioned as candidates for the post in Petronas.

When asked who he thought would get the job, Sanusi said Abdullah would have the advantage if the government wanted to make it a tradition to give the post to a former prime minister.

“Maybe Najib will be most qualified when he becomes a former prime minister,” he quipped.

Sanusi is among the scores of public figures who have signed the Citizens’ Declaration, the document that sets out the objectives of the Save Malaysia movement.